Some of us are born resilient. I have a client who is lucky enough to be one of those people. She had an experience at work recently that reminded me of the difference between those of us who bounce back and those of us who don’t. Maybe it’s a skill we can learn.
My client was putting together a presentation to give to a group of work colleagues. We talked about it in a recent session and from what she told me, her content was interesting and engaging.
On the day she was due to present, there were two speakers before her. Both were exceptional, original and well prepared. As so many of us do, she started comparing herself unfavourably and began to lose her nerve. Her mouth was dry, her heart racing and she considered feigning illness.
Then from somewhere deep within she found an inner strength. ‘Something shifted all of a sudden,’ she told me later. ‘I said to myself, I need to get on with it. I’m just going to give this everything I’ve got.’ And that’s what she did. She knew she was well prepared, her material was good so she got up and delivered that talk with as much confidence as she could muster. As it turned out, hers was the only discussion that got the group talking and her manager’s feedback was excellent.
What a fine lesson in resilience. Next time you doubt your ability, maybe all there is to do is dig deep and draw on the strength you have within you. Then give it everything you’ve got.
